TO SYDNEY MY DEAR WATSON, THE GAME’S A FOOT!
Sherlock Holmes premieres at the Powerhouse Museum
Super sleuths will have their skills tested when the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS) presents The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes. This interactive journey into the world of the most famous detective premieres at the Powerhouse Museum on Saturday 3 June 2017.
In the first tour outside North America, exhibition visitors will be transported back to Sherlock Holmes’ Victorian London to help solve a captivating mystery and will have the chance to crack the case by conducting their own experiments. Before taking on the challenge, visitors enter Sherlock’s world and explore the study of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, doctor-turned-author and the man behind the legend. Featuring over 350 objects, see original manuscripts and first editions, visit one of the world’s most accurate recreations of 221B Baker Street, the home of Sherlock Holmes and his trusty sidekick Watson and immerse yourself in the most comprehensive display of Sherlock pop culture items since his creation 127 years ago.
So whether you’re a Sherlockian fanatic, have a keen interest in science and history or just a fan of pop culture, an ear to the ground and an eye for observation are elementary when The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes opens at the Powerhouse Museum.
“Sherlock Holmes is one of the most treasured figures in literary history. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s world of investigation has leapt off the pages of books and into the hearts and minds of millions of people around the world,” said MAAS Director, Dolla Merrillees.
“The Sherlock mysteries span nine books and countless adaptations, making him the most portrayed literary human character in film and television. This exciting exhibition takes you beyond a world of imagination and allows you to assume the role of the detective, conducting footprint and blood splatter analysis, examining botanical samples and trying your hand at chromatography all to solve the mystery,” said Ms Merrillees.
Visitors will learn how Sherlock Holmes, a scientific expert ahead of his time, used seemingly trivial observations of clues to solve some of the era’s most puzzling mysteries. The practices and techniques devised by Conan Doyle led to changes in the way police work was done, many of which remain in practice today.
Be transported through moments in history, first to Sherlock Holmes’ London and then back to present day with a pop culture gallery that shows Sherlock Holmes in all his manifestations. The pop culture gallery features costumes, props and behind the scenes equipment from the hit CBS television show Elementary and the BBC’s Sherlock, as well as Warner Bros.’ recent Sherlock Holmes movies.
This exhibition is brought to the Powerhouse Museum through a unique arts partnership between Exhibits Development Group (EDG); Geoffrey M. Curley + Associates; Conan Doyle Estate Ltd.; and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. This is the first time a Conan Doyle family member has been involved in a Sherlock Holmes exhibition.
“The Conan Doyle Estate can’t remember an undertaking as involved and exciting as this one,” says Conan Doyle Estate’s literary agent Jon Lellenberg: “Museum visitors will experience the scientific and literary ideas that inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to create Sherlock Holmes, and Holmes’ methods for investigating and solving
crimes as the world’s first consulting detective, and they will visit their two worlds, including the very rooms in which all this took place.”
Tickets will go on sale in March 2017. The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes opens Saturday 3 June and runs until Sunday 29 October, 2017.
Images available for download here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/r1dxv8cahr7h8t9/AADCS_hR1I2A0ap4HUiOR7VLa?dl=0
This exhibition is part of The MAAS Centre for STEAM, encouraging people of all ages to embrace the wonders of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM) through hands-on innovative experiences. For more information please visit maas.museum/centre-for-steam
On view: The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes Dates: 3 June – 29 October, 2017 Address: Powerhouse Museum, 500 Harris Street, Ultimo Website: maas.museum sherlockholmesexhibition.com Tickets via ticketek.com Admission: General admission for adults is $27 Concession $25, Children $16 Family Pass $65. Discounts available for pre-purchased tickets and groups
Follow Powerhouse Museum on: Facebook: facebook.com/powerhousemuseum Twitter: @maasmuseum Instagram: @maasmuseum
MEDIA CONTACT: Matt Fraser [email protected] P: 02 8065 7363 M: 0401 326 007 Amber Forrest-Bisley [email protected] P: 02 8065 7363 M: 0405 363 817
EDITORS NOTES
The exhibition is made up of five galleries:
Dr. Conan Doyle’s Study – Conan Doyle, a scientifically educated physician, was a curious and tireless investigator his entire life. Discover his world first, as a medical student at Edinburgh University, then as an apprentice at Royal Surgeons’ Hall, next as a practicing physician in Southsea, Portsmouth, and finally as a creator of literary genius who moved to London in the early 1890s and became a full-time author. On display will be an original manuscript, letters, and illustrations through which guests will gain perspective on the experiences that influenced Conan Doyle in creating Sherlock Holmes.
Science and History –Participate in experiments by exploring the developments in science and technology in the 1890s -- developments that are still highly relevant today. Supported by forensics expert and crime historian E. J. Wagner, author of The Science of Sherlock Holmes, the exhibition digs into real forensic studies in order to demonstrate the link between the Sherlock Holmes stories, detective science and the world of today.
Sherlock Holmes in Baker Street – Visit Sherlock Holmes’ and Dr. Watson’s sitting room at 221B Baker Street, London, where their investigations began and concluded – a room looming large in popular imagination around the globe ever since the first Sherlock Holmes tale, A Study in Scarlet, in 1887.
Become a Detective – Exchange the museum map for a book full of clues while hot on a trail to solve a remarkable crime. Using your own powers of observation, crack a new Sherlock Holmes mystery written exclusively for this exhibition by Daniel Stashower, the acclaimed writer and award-winning Conan Doyle biographer.
Culture of Sherlock – Enjoy the exhibition’s final gallery, housing an extensive collection of all things “Sherlockian,” ranging from vintage Sherlock Holmes-themed card games, comics, and magazines, to radio scripts, and movie and television show props and costumes. The exhibition will offers up the most comprehensive display anywhere of Sherlock Holmes as portrayed in popular imagination over the last 127 years since his creation.
About the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences The Powerhouse Museum, alongside Sydney Observatory and Museums Discovery Centre, is part of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS), Australia’s contemporary museum for excellence and innovation in applied arts and sciences. The Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences has a vast and diverse collection of over 500,000 objects.
About Exhibits Development Group (EDG): EDG is dedicated to the development, production, marketing, and distribution of traveling museum exhibitions and cultural projects. EDG also serves as a partner to other exhibition organizers, museums, foundations, and collection owners in the U.S. and abroad, in the care and stewardship of their exhibitions and collections. EDG’s mission is to initiate and promote international cultural and intellectual exchange by bringing high-quality traveling exhibitions of art, science, and history to broad and diverse audiences. For more information, please visit www.exhibitsdevelopment.com
About Geoffrey M. Curley + Associates, LLC (GMCA): GMCA is an innovative consulting company dedicated to supporting the development and execution of new and vibrant educational, hands-on, minds-on experiences for museums. GMCA’s goal is to integrate new, cutting- edge technologies, environmental design and emotional storytelling with tantalizing visual, audio and tactile experiences making exhibitions personal, artistic, fun, educational, and memorable. For more information, please visit www.gmcurley.com
About Conan Doyle Estate Ltd.: Conan Doyle Estate Ltd. is sole owner of the Sherlock Holmes and other Conan Doyle rights. Owned by members of the Conan Doyle family, and successor to the Estate of Dame Jean Conan Doyle (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s daughter who died in 1997), it manages the copyrights and trademarks in Sir Arthur’s works and characters. For more information, please visit www.conandoyleestate.co.uk
About Oregon Museum of Science and Industry: Founded in 1944, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) is one of the nation’s leading science museums, a world-class tourist attraction, and an award-winning educational resource for the kid in each of us. OMSI is located at 1945 SE Water Avenue, Portland, OR 97214. For general information, call 503.797.4000 or visit www.omsi.edu.
About Museum of London Museum of London tells the story of the world’s greatest city and its people. It cares for more than two million objects in its collections and attracts over 600,000 visitors per year. It also holds the largest archaeological archive in the world. The Museum’s collections of photographs, paintings and objects relating to 19th century London are particularly rich, supporting a deep understanding of the city during this extraordinary period in its history. They are cared for by a team led by Alex Werner, the Museum’s Head of History Collections and an expert on 19th century London history and on Sherlock Holmes. More information is available from www.museumoflondon.org.uk